Experienced investors look for data points that might provide clues that both the capacity and the willingness to deploy capital is increasing.

One such barometer is art, and recent auctions for impressionist, modern, and post-war paintings have provided more evidence for cautious optimism.

Amedeo Modigliani's Nu Assis Sur un Divan (La Belle Romaine) sold for a record $68.9 million -- almost $30 million higher than the painting's estimated worth -- at a Sotheby's (BID) auction last Tuesday, wnyc.org reported. It was also the highest price for a Modigliani work at an auction.

President-elect Obama plans to use fiscal policy to put the brakes on the economic slump. He intends to do that through infrastructure spending. And figures as high as $500 billion to $1 trillion have been mentioned. Does this make sense? How would the money be spent? How many jobs would it create?

At this point, infrastructure spending does make sense. That's because the first line of defense against an economic contraction is to cut interest rates. But the Fed is pretty much out of bullets since short-term rates are near zero. It will try to lower longer-term rates, but the economy has not responded to efforts to get people to borrow more money to fix a problem created by too much borrowing. Government spending is the next line of defense and it could increase aggregate demand which would help.

The money would be spent on different projects to strengthen U.S. infrastructure; make it more energy efficient and improve internet access. Such projects include building or repairing roads, bridges, schools, sewer systems, and other public utilities. Obama also proposes to "make government buildings more energy efficient, modernize school classrooms and libraries with computers, expand access to broadband Internet service and upgrade information technology in hospitals and doctors' offices," according to the New York Times.